The Arena
by LordMcGrammar
Summary: "The best techniques are passed on by the survivors..." - Gaiden Shinji, Blademaster, First Era, 947
1. Betrayal

Betrayal

A pounding headache. An aching back. Cuts and bruises all over. No, Talin hadn't been drinking the night before, as most might expect a Nord like himself would. In fact, he had nothing to eat or drink for two days. His muscular build was already deteriorating, and his light blonde hair had become dark with grime and dirt. It was obvious to that he was expected to die in the damp, dark spaces of the Imperial City prison, but he hadn't a clue as to what he had done to deserve such.

"_Talin…_"

Talin groaned as he sat up from the wooden board that served as his "bed". He looked around, but his eyes were only met by the rusty iron bars and algae-covered stone that kept him imprisoned. "Is somebody there?" he called. There was no response. Talin figured that his mind was playing tricks on him, and began to lay back down.

Suddenly there was a flash of blinding light from the center of the cell. Talin shielded his eyes from the harsh glare, his eyes burning from the sheer intensity. The light subsided, and as Talin's vision recovered, he was met with the figure of a woman, clothed in white robes with a strange, ethereal glow around her.

"_Do not fear Talin, it is I, Ria Silmane," she said._

Talin observed in quiet shock as he looked over his friend. "Ria?" he breathed. "What is going on? Why are you-?"

He stopped upon seeing Ria's face. It was taken by grief that only death could cause. "_I am no longer of this world, Talin,_" her expression somehow growing sadder. "_Only my knowledge of Aetherius and my power as a Sorceress keep me from crossing over into the next life. That power is limited, however..._"

"'No longer of this world'?!" Talin gasped, horrified by the revelation. "How? Why?"

"_I have been murdered for fear that I would pass on the knowledge I bear,_" she said.

Talin's faced contorted in anger. "Who did this to you?" he demanded. "I will make them pay for this!"

"_Put aside your rage, friend, for a clear mind is needed for what I am to tell you…_" Talin's face, reddened and contorted anger, gradually turned to its original white color at the request of his friend. When he appeared to have calmed down sufficiently, Ria began, "_Talin, listen closely, as there are no others left to stand against the evil that plagues Tamriel. Jagar Tharn has taken upon the appearance of Uriel Septim IIV, and left you here to die._"

"What has happened to the true emperor? Surely if he was the dead the Amulet of Kings would alert the Elder Council!"

"_The emperor is not dead. Tharn has used the Staff of Chaos to seal Uriel Septim within a realm of Oblivion, and then used Illusion magic to take on his appearance._"

"Illusion magic…" Talin repeated to himself. "Even if he looked like the emperor he would have to act like him to. Surely there are those who saw through it?

"_Indeed there were,_" Ria comfirmed. "_The emperor's wife has been executed and his children have gone on the run. Others were imprisoned much like yourself._"

Talin's fists tightened, infuriated by how low Tharn had sunk to obtain power. To kill a man's wife… He took a breath in an attempt to calm down, with some success. "So why come to me?" Talin asked, gritting his teeth slightly. "Why not the Imperial Guard? My father? Compared to them I'm of no worth!"

"_They have all been captured along with the emperor. Tharn has used Illusion magic to have others take their place_," she said."_He does not see you as a threat, as you are only an apprentice within the Imperial Court. With that act of arrogance, he has made a fatal mistake. Near the north wall of your cell, there is a ruby key that can unlock the door. Use it to escape from the prison. Within these passages you may find old treasure stockpiles left behind by thieves long dead, and though much of it has tarnished and rusted, it is better than nothing."_

"But where do I go?" Talin questioned. "This place is like a maze."

"_Travel as far west of your cell as possible, and then turn south. You should find what is called a Shift Gate; an ancient method of travel now all but forgotten. It will transport you far from Cyrodiil, though I know not where it will lead exactly_."

Talin looked up at the ethereal form of his friend. "Thank you, Ria," he said. "I promise that I will free the emperor and avenge your death."

Ria smiled warmly; a small comfort in the cold depths of the prison. "_Then go and make your escape Talin_," she said. "_I will not be contacting you directly from now on. Once you leave you will only be seeing me through your dreams. This way I can use less magicka and remain bound to Mundus for longer. Good luck, Talin! May the Nine watch over you_!"

With that, Ria disappeared in another flash of light, and Talin was alone once more. He looked over to a small crevice toward the north of his cell. There was a glistening key of ruby lying within. Talin walked over to it and grasped it in his hand; it was warm, like the sun, and hope returned to him.

"Prepare yourself, Tharn." Talin said as he unlocked the door to his cell. "Because I know what you are, and I will end you!"

* * *

_** It's been a while since I've uploaded **_**anything, _so why not begin another uploading spree with a new story? I've yet to see a complete story portraying the story of _The Elder Scrolls: Arena_, but with this I intend to change that. _**

**_ The story will span the entire (canon) ten years that The Eternal Champion took to defeat Jagar Tharn, though I intend to take some artistic liberties with characters and some plot events. If I were to do a completely faithful adaption of the game, then I'd be writing about some poor soul who ran fast-traveled everywhere, never faced any real complications in his/her quest (aside from liches), and never needed help to fight off the hordes of enemies they had to face. Combine this with the complete lack of Elder Scrolls lore, and you have a very boring story. Hopefully the changes will go over well with any long-time Elder Scrolls fans reading this and if not... well ya' can't please everyone._**

**_For those wanting more _From Dust: _I am working on a new chapter. _Arena _will probably be my main focus for a while, but I promise updates._**


	2. Escape

Escape

The door to Talin's cell slowly swung open as he withdrew the ruby key. It creaked noisily and hit the stone wall with a loud crash, making him jump. His heart now pounding wildly in his chest, Talin tentatively stepped out of his cell and into the chilling gloom of the Imperial City dungeon.

The sound of dripping water echoed throughout the dungeon, occasionally interrupted by the shrill cries of rats and mice as they scampered about, searching for precious morsels of food from the world above. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, Talin could make out the silhouettes of the twisting labyrinth before him.

"'Go west…'" Talin repeated Ria's words. "Now if only I knew where in Oblivion west is supposed to be…" From behind, Talin heard a soft scuffling on the stony floor. Upon turning his head, he saw only the rusty cell door a short distance away. Figuring it had been a rat, he pressed onward a short ways, but the sound came yet again. "Only a rat," Talin assured himself. He walked for small while, and heard the noise again. He walked a bit faster, and the noise became a bit louder. He began to sprint through the winding halls of the dungeon, his mind only focused on escaping whatever it was behind him.

Talin ran for what seemed like miles, but he ran into a dead end all too soon. He turned around, his heart beating in his chest like a guar-hide drum. Suddenly from the darkness, walked a creature with yellow skin and empty, green eyes. It held aloft and axe as tall as it was, and stared at Talin with dark intent.

It would have been quite a terrifying creature, had it not been a two-foot tall goblin.

Talin nearly died laughing. "_You_ were the chasing me about?" he guffawed, his fear melting away almost instantly. "Run along before you get yourself hurt, ugly."

Perhaps the goblin had offended by what Talin had said, or perhaps it was too stupid to consider the man's muscular build. Either way, the goblin leapt up and swung its axe at him, barely Talin's shoulder as it soared through the air.

"Try that again!" Talin barked angrily. "I dare ya'!"

Sure enough, the goblin leapt once more, but Talin was prepared. "I warned ya', you little son of a bitch!" In a blind rage, Talin grabbed the goblin by the neck before while in mid air and flung it against a wall. He collected the goblin's axe and stormed over to it, where it tried desperately to crawl away from the enraged Nord, but to no avail. Talin swung the blunt side of the axe against the goblin's head, breaking it and killing the creature instantly, but he kept going. He beat, chopped, and crushed the corpse madly until all that was left was a bloody mash of flesh and bone. With a final act of spite, Talin tossed the remains of the goblin's flesh towards a group of rats, where they devoured the tender meat in a wild frenzy.

Talin blinked.

He looked down at his clothes; they were spattered with droplets of blood and gore, and the axe in his hand was still dripping. "By the Nine…" he murmured. "I've done it again…" Talin watched as rats finished eating the goblin's corpse, a feeling of regret growing inside him. It had only been a goblin, a hostile one at that, but Talin couldn't help but feel guilty. The poor bastard was _terrified_ after he threw him, and probably quite hurt. He could've stopped then and there and been on his way. It had been completely unnecessary to kill it. But he did so anyway, and hated himself for it.

"_A man does not harm those weaker than him; otherwise he is not a man, but a coward_." His father's words echoed through his mind, and he could practically feel his disappointment had he been present. Sighing morosely, Talin kneeled down over the almost non-existent remains of the goblin, and muttered a prayer, partially as an apology to the goblin, partially as an apology to himself.

He stood up afterwards and looked around. None of the surrounding area looked familiar. _Wonderful_, he thought. _I suppose now I'm going to have to roam around aimlessly for a few hours…_ Talin wiped the axe in his hand on his already filthy shirt. _Might as well get started_…

* * *

Mournhold was as busy as ever. The bazaar was filled with people of all races, the guards diligently patrolled about city, and the doors to the High Chapel were shut as the faithful worshiped the goddess Almalexia.

But it was far from perfect.

Barenziah, from her study within the royal palace, looked curiously at a scroll before her. She furrowed her brow. "Symmachus, would you please come over here?"

Her husband approached from behind her. "What is it, my dear?" he asked.

"The emperor sent us a decree declaring a new tax rate, but the amount he's demanded is maddening!" she exclaimed, showing the scroll to him. "Surely this is some sort of mistake?"

"Well the emperor signed it…" Symmachus said, stroking his chin. "Twice, in fact," he added.

"Do you think he is angry that the Staff of Chaos is still missing?" Barenziah suggested.

Symmachus shook his head. "Uriel is not one for making citizens suffer for our mistakes. Besides, he told us that he wanted it to be as discrete as possible; raising taxes higher than Red Mountain _is not_ what I call discrete."

Barenziah bit her lip. "Should we go through with it? Or perhaps spare the people and use our treasury fund?"

"We can't afford to..." Symmachus said. "That'll drain our funds for public works and the Temple."

"What about the people?" Barenziah objected. "Our wealthier citizens could possibly afford this, but the commoners? They'd be forced out onto the streets!"

Symmachus ran his fingers through his hair, sighing deeply as he pondered his options. Finally, he said, "I'll send a courier to Cyrodiil requesting a reason for these tax rates from Uriel himself, and perhaps make an attempt to persuade him to at least lower them a bit…"

"That's all we can do for now, I suppose," Barenziah agreed. "Let's hope this was but an error on his part…"

"I can't help but doubt that, but it is a comforting thought…"

Barenziah stared at her husband quizzically. "What reason is there to doubt this is a mistake?" she inquired. "The Uriel we know would never impose such steep taxes on his people, lest it be by accident."

"I have a feeling that hard times are ahead, my dear Barenziah…" Symmachus said solemnly. "I don't have a clue as to why I feel that why, but I do."

Before Barenziah could question him further, Symmachus walked out of the study and into the hallway without so much as looking back. She was tempted to go after him, but her eyes wandered back to the stack of papers before her. Deciding to avoid further procrastination, Barenziah picked up her quill once more and began writing, her thoughts never truly straying from her husband's bizarre behavior.

* * *

"By the Nine, not another one…"

Talin swore as he found himself facing an empty hall way; no shift gate, nor even a door. It had become an infuriatingly common sight as he attempted to navigate through the prison. He tightened his grip on his axe, feeling very tempted to lash out at the vacant wall, but instead huffed noisily and walked back out. "Twenty down, gods know many left…" he said bitterly.

"Sooner or later you're going to realize you've been walking in circles, Nord."

Talin jumped at the sound of the voice. Raising his axe to a more combative position, he shouted back, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"Put the axe down and I just might," came a reply.

"And why in the name of Talos would I do _that_?" Talin snarled.

"Do I sense some hostility?" the voice said mockingly. "Anyway, last time I met a Nord, he tried to lob my head off. Nasty bit of business, that. It is not something I wish to be a victim of, so I'll ask again; could you kindly put the axe down?"

"You still haven't given me a reason."

"I know where the Shift Gate is."

Talin paused for a moment, his stance never wavering. Slowly he placed the axe in his belt loop, and presented his hands. "The axe is gone," he stated. "Now show yourself."

From the inky darkness emerged a woman of short stature and light build, leather armor covering her modestly. She had copper brown hair that looked as unkempt and dirty as Talin's, and black eyes that seemed to pierce his soul.

Talin scoffed. "What do you know of the Shift Gate, Wood Elf?"

"Really, I prefer the term 'Bosmer'," the elf said, a smirk spreading across her face. "And above all else, I prefer my name."

"Which would be?"

"Eindre," she said, circling around him, her smirk becoming wider. "And you are?"

"Talin," he said plainly. "What do you know of the Shift Gate?" he pressed.

"Right down to business," Eindre said. "I like you already. To answer your question, I know where it is, how to use it, and that you need it."

"And how do you figure _that_?" Talin asked suspiciously.

Eindre grinned. "Any prisoner in their right mind would try and find a discrete way to escape, and nothing is as discrete as, a Shift Gate; it's why the Empire outlawed them."

Talin stared at the elf. "What reason do you have for helping me? I haven't any gold, nor food."

"Accept my offer and I'll change that, as well as help you escape," she said, lifting a pouch that jingled as the Septims inside moved about.

"What offer?" Talin asked, confused.

"The one I'm about to make you." Eindre tossed the pouch at Talin, who awkwardly caught it in his surprise. "The coin's yours if you watch my back as we go through the Shift Gate together, and for a little while afterwards."

"'Watch your back'? For what reason?"

"I've made some poor choices; I'll leave it at that."

Talin frowned. This woman was being more vague and uninformative than a Dark Elven diplomat. "Can't you at least tell me who's after you?"

"Very powerful and well-armed assassins," she replied, as if it were as important as what she had for breakfast.

Talin cocked his eyebrow. "So you're going for the nigh-unarmed and relatively unskilled Nord? Not to be ungrateful for the opportunity, but wouldn't it be a better idea to hire a mercenary or something?"

"Mercenary's can be tracked down quite easily by those who know how. A prisoner from the Imperial City Dungeon? Nobody ever comes by to see if someone's escaped or not. Hell, they haven't cleaned up the bodies since the Second Era."

"You make a tempting offer, but I can't afford to follow you around," Talin said, tossing the coin purse back at Eindre, who caught it with considerably more ease. "I have more important business to take care of."

"And how are you going to do so without the Shift Gate?" Eindre asked, almost seeming amused by Talin's refusal.

"I'll find it on my own," Talin replied, facing away from her. "Better to take hours to get out now and be free than leave now and be bound to an _elf_ for gods know how long."

Eindre chuckled a bit. "By Arkay, you Nords are a dense lot." She quickly intercepted Talin as he began to walk away. "I never said you would be a servant to me," she said, leaning in closer to him. "The deal was you'd protect me from those who wish to cause me harm. If that means I have to travel to the frozen wastes of Skyrim with you, I'll follow so long as you promise to do so." She pressed the coin purse in his hand. "Perhaps now you'd like to reconsider?"

Talin backed away from the elf, feeling a bit claustrophobic, and weighed his options. Could he afford to have an assassination target as a companion? Sure, she had money, and was likely a decent fighter judging her armor and weapons, but it wouldn't do him much good should he find a dagger in his gut.

"I'm going to regret this somehow…" he said reluctantly. "Lead the way."

Eindre happily clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Now that we've got that out of the way, I shall bring you to the Shift Gate. Follow me!" She quickly spun around and dashed away, giving Talin little time to catch up before the darkness consumed her.

They ran quite noisily through the prison for what seemed like miles, finally stopping in the middle of a hallway in an area Talin had yet to explore. "Was it necessary… to run all that way…?" he gasped. "My heart feels like it's going to explode…"

"Shouldn't a big, strong, Nord like yourself be a bit more… in shape?" Eindre teased.

"You try going two days without food or water then running all that way!" Talin said angrily.

Eindre sighed. "You'll have plenty to eat once we get through the Shift Gate."

"Speaking of which, where is it?"

Eindre motion directly in front of him. At the end of the hallway was a wall that glowed a soft blue, and rippled as if it were made of water.

"Oh."

"Quite a lovely thing, isn't it?" Eindre said as she approached the Gate. "It was left behind by a battlemage before the second era ended. Apparently Tiber Septim had qualms with his morals regarding necromancy and tried to have him arrested. Of course, the battlemage outsmarted his captors and erected a Shift Gate, ensuring his escape."

"I fail to see how that's relevant," Talin said. "Besides, the guards could've just followed him through."

"And that's where you are wrong, my friend!" Eindre slammed her fist into the Shift Gate, only for it to simply phase through it as if it were but empty space. "The Gate is protected with an enchantment that requires the user to answer a question in order to actually be transported anywhere. The guards never were able to figure out the answer to said question, so the mage left without consequence." She pulled a tattered journal from her belt. "In here, however, I have the answer, so unlike the guards of old, we can pass through."

"You're telling me that even if I refused your offer and found the Gate myself, I would be stuck here because I don't know how to activate it?" Talin asked crossly.

"Yup."

"And you would've blackmailed me to be your bodyguard either way?"

"Yup."

"Anyone ever tell you you're a manipulative little witch?"

"Dozens of times."

"Just wanted to make sure," Talin sighed. "So what's the answer?"

"When the Gate asks for it, I'll answer," she said, thumbing her way through the journal.

As Talin and Eindre further approached the Shift Gate, it became a light green, and an ethereal voice echoed through their minds.

_**Beneath the Lair where dwarves once thrived,**_

_**Within the Maze built by an ancient cult,**_

_**Inside the Grove where trees are alive,**_

_**Within the Halls where giants hulked,**_

_**Atop the Tower of endless magic,**_

_**Buried in the Crypt where dead lay deep,**_

_**Immersed in the Swamp where all is tragic,**_

_**Entombed in the Fires where evil sleeps,**_

_**I was shattered and scattered far; not nearby,**_

_**By the impostor king… What am I?**_

"W-wait, what?!" Eindre flipped through the pages of her journal. "That wasn't the question! It was supposed ask 'What soul gem does a Golden Saint fill?', not some sort of riddle!"

As Eindre panicked, Talin pondered on those last few words. '_**By the impostor king…**_' "The Staff of Chaos," he blurted out. The Gate rapidly turned from green to a blinding white, making both man and mer jump in surprise.

"How did you…?" Eindre breathed.

"Lucky guess, I suppose." Talin smiled. "We're free!" Not waiting another moment, Talin leapt into the Shift Gate, fully expecting but not caring if he fell into dirt or sand. Rather, however, he landed in about two feet of snow.

"Huh…?" he sat up and stared at the landscape; mountains, snow, and evergreens. The sound of wood being chopped and goats bleating could be heard not too far off to the east, and despite the bright sun in the sky the air was frigid enough to freeze a man solid.

As Eindre appeared behind him, a grin spread across Talin's face. "You wouldn't happen to know where we are, eh Nord?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he said happily. "I'm home."

* * *

**_If you haven't a clue as to where I ended this chapter, you've obviously have been living under a rock since 11/11/2011._**

**_Thank you for you patience; life's been throwing me a few curve balls recently, particularly when it comes to school. I literally have a long-term project for every class I'm taking, meaning I have less time to write, and when I do have time, I just want to go off and play Mega Man or something. Christmas vacation will be a very welcome break from such things._**

**_Anyway, leave a review if you wanna see this stuff improve. It's impossible to get a beta-reader, let me tell ya'..._**


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